Moon sand is that cool sand (aka kinetic sand) that when formed holds its shape. With just a few ingredients you can make it right at home without the expense. DIY Kinetic sand is such a great sensory activity your kids will have hours of fun with it.

Keep kids busy and entertained with this long list of crafts and activities for kids. You will find some great ideas!

child playing with moon sand recipe

How we discovered DIY Moon Sand

My daughter and I went on a hunt through the toy aisles for Moon Sand this week. (Thanks to the power of those very persuasive toy commercials!) Have you seen the commercials?  Moon Sand is the cool kinetic sand that you see in all the stores.

We decided that it would be a fun activity to keep us busy this summer, and perhaps a different spin from the playdough that we love. (Here is a great homemade playdough recipe). So the hunt began.

She was so excited to find the little box of Moon Sand. I, on the other hand, was a little shocked to see the price of such a little box of Moon Sand.  It didn’t seem like very much product for the price! With a quick search on google, I skillfully steered my daughter out of the toy aisle and into the grocery section.

The beginning of an experiment

It can be expensive to buy, however, you can make your very own DIY kinetic sand right at home with just a few ingredients.

My daughter was excited to play with the moon sand and I was happy about the expense. With only three ingredients and you can mix up hours of fun for your kids. I decided that this experiment would be worth a try! 

What is Kinetic sand?

To accomplish this money-saving experiment, I had to figure out just what exactly kinetic sand is.  I learned that it is considered a three-dimensional building toy (perfect for sculpting and re-sculpting) and it is made of 98% sand and 2% polydimethylsiloxane (which is a type of silicone oil.) It mimics the physical properties of wet sand, which I know from experience, can keep a child busy for hours!

Now to experiment with some easy recipes using ingredients that I can pronounce!

Moon Sand Ingredients

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DIY kinetic sand supplies - cornstarch and play sand

What kind of sand is used to make kinetic sand?

We used play sand to make our fun sand that holds its shape. Play sand is finer than regular beach sand.

How to make Moon Sand

Step 1

Mix 9 cups of play sand with cornstarch.  I spent a little extra money on the colored sand.  It was a nice way to color the moldable sand without having to use any food coloring, food dye or powdered tempera paint. I decided adding extra ingredients could color the hands.

pink play sand first ingredient of he mixture

Mix well.

cornstarch (the second ingredient of the mixture) being added to pink play sand

Step 2

Then add in about 2-1/2 cups water. Start with 2-1/4 cups and continue adding the water until you have the desired consistency.

cup pouring water into diy moon sand mixture

Step 3

Mix well. I think that this is the fun part.  This is such great sensory play for preschoolers!  it would be a great addition to a preschool play area and it would also make a fun activity to do at a backyard birthday party.

hands mixing cornstarch, play sand and water together

While it isn’t exactly like moon sand it is very close.  This recipe makes a lot more than the small box on the toy shelf and is much cheaper.

Helpful Tips and tricks

You can experiment with the ingredients until you get it exactly how you like it.  Be careful though, it is very easy to get sandy oobleck! When finished playing, cover, and store in an airtight container.

Next time you play, add a few tablespoons of water if it needs to be moistened.  We stored it in a plastic tote, but I think that you could also store it in the gallon size plastic zip bags. However, using a  plastic tote makes for a great sensory bin.

Also, I have heard that you can add essential oils or kool-aid packets to increase the sensory fun.  This is such a simple way to increase the fun and calm the spirits. I can’t wait to try it myself.

kinetic sand shaped like a smiling octopus

It’s your Turn to Make an Play with DIY Moon Sand

My kids had a great time and the kids loved the homemade moon sand. (I found that even the real Moon Sand did not meet my kid’s expectations.) 

Now you know how to make your own kinetic sand, and I hope that you and your kids will enjoy this fun experiment. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. If you try and add any smells, I would love to hear how they worked out for you! I think you will love moon sand.

Be sure to read the comments there are some great tips for adding baby oil to give it a fresh scent and cream of tartar to help preserve and keep it from molding.

More fun sensory ACTIVITY projects

After you have whipped up the kinetic sand recipe be sure to make these fun concoctions.

I would love to keep you fully stocked with creative ideas, yummy recipes, fun crafts, and loads of free printables. Subscribe to Skip to my Lou to get new ideas delivered to your inbox. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram for all my latest updates.

DIY Moon Sand Recipe

moon sand
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5 from 5 votes

DIY Moon Sand Recipe

Ingredients

  • 9 cups play sand Really fine sand
  • 3 cups cornstarch
  • 2 1/2 cups water

Instructions

  • Mix together the sand and cornstarch. Add in about 2 1/4 cups water and stir. Continue adding the water until you have the desired consistency.
  • You can experiment with the ingredient amounts until you get it exactly how you like it.

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Comments

  1. I think my recipe is a bit cheaper and you probably have everything in your kitchen. I made it a few years ago and just recently threw it away when it got wet. If you keep it on an air tight container it will save for a long time.
    Jen’s MOON SAND RECIPE
    3 cups a/p flour
    1/2 cup vegetable oil
    food coloring
    Mix food color with oil first making it much darker than you want it to end up. In large bowel, combine oil and flour; mix thoroughly with your hands. If it’s to dry add 1 or 2T more oil (you can use this as a chance to add more color if needed. Keep it away from carpet and water and store it in an air tight container.
    ? Kool-Aid for coloring and scent (haven’t tried this suggestion yet)

  2. Just tried this out with my kids. It was enjoyed but I discovered a fun error. Seems I added to much water and we ended up with “Alien Goo”…we use the green Crayola sand. The consistency was very odd, almost like Goop. Try it if you dare.

  3. Ugh! We were so excited to do this, and perhaps rushed a bit. Our sand was VERY moist from the store (same sand you used) and it was VERY humid out… so we have a watery, sloppy mess. I’ll have to wait to evaporate some of the water off. 🙁 Thanks for the recipe though! Hope we can save ours.

  4. Thank you so much for the idea!!! I’m definitely going to use it with my daycare kids!!!!

  5. This is such a great idea and my kids LOVED it. We made blue and it turned out perfect.

  6. So while this looks like a fun project, I don’t think its much like “the real moon sand”. On their website, it says that if you get water in it, to let it “dry out” on a paper towel and that after drying, moisture will return to it.

    Also above, someone said that when they returned to play with it, it was covered with mold! Thinking about this, it’s no wonder. They actually use a corn-starch like substance for petri dishes!

    If you make the above, consider it disposable, throw away after a few days. It reminds me of the huge batches of “play dough” my mom made me as a kid. Fun in bulk, but didn’t last long.

    Anyone have any idea on how they really make it?

  7. I love it when you can make it yourself. I came to dislike moon sand when it was impossible to clean off my table…its stayed there forever. I look forward to trying this one tomorrow…my kids will love it…outside 🙂
    Janet

  8. Okay, yours is a seriously awesome blog! 🙂 I’m so glad I found it this afternoon (was doing a search on why my amish friendship bread starter doesn’t freeze solid!)!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am definitely going to try making gak and oobleck 🙂 Is there a way to make gak using non animal-based glue do you know? I’ll have to check that out!! I don’t have kids but I’m sure my husband and I will be fascinated by this stuff anyway 🙂 Great tote tutorial too!!!

  9. That is so neat! I am saving that for the recipe files for sure. My kids love moon sand. But it is expensive for the amount of sand you need.

  10. I posted this last summer on my teaching blog it was alot of fun! and much cheaper! plus you can revivie it wil some water! 🙂

  11. I have tried making my own moonsand in the past. After storing it for a couple of weeks, it was covered in mold. We may not have played with it enough and let it air out, but it was really gross. Just an FYI.

  12. I told you on Twitter that I loved this idea. And then we tried it! My 5 year old son loves it! The only issues – I was being so frugal that 1) we used sandbox sand…too grainy and 2) I let them put food coloring in to make it pretty. ha!! My son’s hands were bright green for two days!

    Seriously – thanks for a fun project!

  13. Love this! We spend a lot of $$ on moon sand for the preschool and I have grandkids who love the stuff. They will love the experience of making it too.WOW

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